Portable stack lifter or crane



- Jan. 28, 1930. 'R. T. ROMINE I PORTABLE STACK LIFTER OR CRANE OriginalFiled March 11. .1926 2 Sheets-She's:

R. T. ROMINE 1,745,042

PORTABLE STACK LIFTER OR CRANE Jan. 28, 1930.

Original Filed March 11. 1926 2 Sheets-Shae; 2v

- R N N T E R .E MX T by mw w wwxg AT El RN E yg Patented .lam 28,1930

- UNITED, STATES.

nonnnr T. nomnn, or nnrnorr, MICHIGAN- ronTAB E STACK nrrznnn on (menuOriginal application filed March 11, 1926, Se1'ia1No. 9a,s71.' PatentNo. 1,615,812,-dated January 25, 1927.

Divided and this application filed April 27, 1326. Serial No. 104,910. l

f This invention relates to an, apparatus forhandling in units heavyloads 'or bundles of material such, for instance, as sheet metal,andmore' particularly to an apparatus for loading-and unloading metal orother material in freight cars.

y An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby, forinstance, a stack-of.

, metal orsheet steel may-be hauled bodily as iofi' n t into the car,and ,whereby the stack or bundlemay be deposited on the car fioor,-theapparatus also being adapted for picking up or hoisting the bundle andhaulingit out of the car when unloading the latter at its destination.

A further object of the invention is to provide aportable stack lifteror crane constructed to. be wheeled-into position to straddle a bundle,and having meohanism for picking up the bundle from the floor or ground,or for removing thebundle'from a load carrying platformand depositing iton the floor.

Another object of the invention is to providea portable stack lifter orcrane having- Wheels for enabling it to be wheeled into and out of acar, and in'which the-wheels are adapted to yield when a predeterminedload 4 is lifted by the crane'whereby the Weight of V theload will besustained by-independent supporting legs or supports preferably hav- 1ing a greater bearing surface than the wheels.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand claims,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thespecification,

wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in theseveral views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustratingthe apparatus and showing themanner of hand- 40 ling loads in the car. Fig. 2 is a side elevationshowing theportable stack lifter or crane. 1

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the construe tion shown in Fig. '2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the crane shown in Fig. 2.

Before explaining indetail the present improvement and mode of operationthereof, I desire to have it understood that the invention-is notlimited to the details f 9011'- struct-iori and arrangement of partswhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the-inventionis capable of other embodiments, and that the phraseology which Iemployis for the purpose of description and not of limitation. v c Thisapplication is a division of my Letters7'Patent No. 1,615,812 issuedJanuary 25, 192

Heretofore great difiiculty andexpensehave been involved in the handlingof bulky or heavy stock,"such as sheet steel, and in shipping thematerial. In the case-of sheet steel, such as used for the building ofautomobile bodies, it has been necessary to oil the metal sheets topermit ready handling as Well as to protect themagainst scratching. Inall load ing and unloading operations it was heretofore neces'sarytohandle each sheet separate- 1y. The metal was hauled by hand in rela-. 7.tively small units, and each sheet unloaded in 1 thecar by hand. Thesheets were handled by sliding one sheet 'on'another and despite thefact that the surfaces of the sheets Were oiled, an appreciableproportion of the sheets werescratched, rendering them defective andresulting in considerable loss. On account- 'of the necessity ofhandling each sheet, considerable labor expense was involvedin loadingand unloading a car having for instance a load capacity of forty tons.

The present invention enables relatively heavy loads, such asloadsweighing tentons, to be readily handled'without necessitatingthebreaking up of the bundles and separate 35' handling thereof byworkmen. For instance,

. the present invention enables a stack or pile Y of sheets whendelivered from the conveyors at the steel rolling mills to be securedtogether and clamped as a unit in'a rack apparatus,

such as described in my above mentioned patent, and the entire bundlewhich usually approximates ten tons, to be transported as 1 a unit anddeposited bodily on the floor of the.

car-.- By virtue of the invention the saving in labor handling, inaddition to other advantages, is very great. For example, in one largeautomobile company it heretofore took two men approximately ten andone-half hours to load or unload by hand a car load of making up thebundle.

.e'nt invention is utilized the samenumber of men can accomplish thesame work in less than twenty minutes.

Thus the present invention, when'ntilized in the loading or unloading ofsheet steel in freig'htcars, the metal -sheets eliminates the handlingof separately, thereby .saving considerable labor expense. Thus in thecase of sheet metal for instance, the sheets may be delivered to the carin bundles weighing approximately ten tons, and after the carhas'reached its destination the bundles may be bodily removed withoutany individual handling of the sheets or constituent pieces By handlingmetal sheets in heavyor bulky bundles, in accordance with my invention,it has been possible to eliminate thenecessity of. oiling the sheets, asWell as eliminating the separate handling at any time of the individualsheets and eliminating'the damage previously done to the freight cars.This has resulted in an enormous saving. Further advantages resultingtherefrom reside 1n eliminating the expense ofburning off the oil fromthe sheets and washing the sheets before enamelling, andthe reduction toa minimum of the number of scratched or defective sheets.

The apparatus of the present invention has been illustrated inconnection with the handling of sheet metal in stacks and bundles, butit will be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular type of stock which may be handled in accordance with theinvention. The sheets delivered on the conveyors at the steel mill arepiled in a stack on a pallet or platform R, and thereafter the truckplatform L is propelled into position to pick u the pallet or'platformlt and bundle. hence the truck may be run or propelled with itsload directly into the freight car. When the load S is thus brought intothe car,'i t,is then bodily removed from the truck platformancl'depositcd in position in the car for shipment.

Referring to the drawings, a portable stack lifter or crane is shown forbodily re- .moving the bundle or stack S from the pallet or platform R,to permit the truck T.ivith the pallet remaining thereon to be run outfrom beneath the bundle,-and thereafter depositing it on the floor ofthe car.

The portable stack lifter or crane U is constructed of a height topermit it to be propelled through the door into the car and also tostraddle the load and the apparatus Which is used to place the bundle inthe car.

The crane U is at the same time constructed to lift bodily bundles orunits of metal preferably of at least ten tons in weight. The frameworkof the stack lifter comprises in the present instance two parallel pairsof U- shaped angle iron bars 140 and 141. In the present instance, eachof these angle bars is bent into U-shape,

on is run out from the stack.

thereby providing spaced side frames or supports securely connectedtogether at the tops thereof. Each of the 'members 140 and 141 extendsdownwardly into position to form leg supports, and the ad acent pairsare connected together by channels 142 and 143 forming supporting feetfor the rack. The frames 140 and 141 are rigidly secured together bymeans of bars 144, 145 and 146, thereby providing a rigid and strongframe structure. Carried by the side bars 146 is a suitable platform orframework 146 at the upper portion of the structure, and mounted on thisplatform is an electric motor 147, driven from any suitable source ofpower, such as from the battery of the truck T. A sprocket 148 ismounted on the armature shaft 149 of the motor and this sprocket isconnected by means of a chain 150 to a sprocket 151 on the shaft 152 ofa spur gear reducer 153. Thence the power is transmitted to the drivenshaft 156 by means of meshing spur gears 154 and 155.-

At the opposite ends of the driven shaft 156'are mounted drums 157 and158. A pair of lifting cables 159 are adapted to be wound .andunwound onthe drum 157 these cables,

as shown, extending in.opposite directions overidlers 160, and thenceextending vertically at opposite sides of the frame. Each cable 159 atits lower end is connected to one end of a lengthwise extending liftingbar 161. In likemanner thedrum 158 is adapted to wind and unwind liftingcables 163 extending overidlers 160, and connected at the lower endsthereof to the opposite ends of'the lifting bars 161 and 162. each bar161- and 162 are a pair of adjustable links 164 carrying hooks 165.These links may be adjusted into various positions along the bars 161and 162 in the notches 166, thereby permitting the books 165 to beproperly spaced in order to look into the bundle to be lifted.

Asshown in Fig. 1, the bundle S may be osely mounted on.

run into position on the truck platform L between the side frames 140 ofthe crane U, and beneath platform 146. Thereupon the hooks-165 arehooked into the links or eyes 30 of the tying elements for the bundle,and upon operating the switch of the motor 147 the bundle S may belifted sufficiently to clear the pallet R, or the bundle may besupported to permit the truck platform L to be lowered, thereby clearingthe bottom of the bundle. Thereupon the truck T with the pallettherebeneath the rack U, into the position shown in full lines inFig. 1. By reversing the motor 147 the bundle S shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, maybe lowered in position upon the floor of the car. After thebundle has been deposited on the floor of the car, the rack U may bewheeled'away from Referring to F 2, the crane U is protroduction of thevided with supporting wheels 169 carried by'b'rackets 168 secured to aslide bar-167; This bar is in the form of a channel which is slotted tofreely embrace the posts or'bars 140 and 141. Atthe forward end of thecrane steering'wheels 171 are mounted on swivel arms 17 0 supported bythe spaced slide bars 167. The wheels or casters 169 and 171 are mountedin front of the legs andarelocated within the width of the stack lifterinto narrow aisle spaces at opposite sides of the pack or bundle on the"car floor. On their upper faces each bar 167 is provided with verticallyex tending plungers 172, which slide freely through holes in the fixedbar 144 of the frame. Surrounding these plungers are compression springs17 3. These springs are of suificient strength to support the stacklifter U upon the wheels 169 and 171 without the load. When a loadofpredetermined weight is suspended from the bars 161 and 162 thespringsl73 will be compressed, causing the 1 bars 167 to yieldverticallyand the stack lifter to be supported on the feet 142 and 143,thereby taking the Weight of the t-ruckand load off the wheels andproviding a greater hearing surface by virtue of the feet 142 and143. Assoon as the load has been released in the car, the stack lifter will beautomatically supand may then be readily propelled out of position overthe bundle.-

In my (o-pending application I have il-' lustrated a preferred manner ofloading a freight car of forty ton capacity in which the material isdelivered to the car in four units of approximately ten tons each. Inthis instance two bundles are placed at each end of the car, and eachbundle is sufficiently spaced from the side wall of the car to per- U'to be wheeled into position so as to straddle the bundle on the carfloor. The vertical side frames of between the bundle and the side wallof the tween the supports,

car. To unload the car the hooks 165 car ried by the lifting cables ofthe stack lifter elevating mechanism are hooked into eye links 30.Thereupon the bundle ofmetal is hoisted vertically between the sideframes to a height permitting the truck .platform to be moved intoposition Thereupon the bundle is deposited upon the truck platform andhauled bodily out of the freight car.

What I claim is:

1. A portable. stack spaced vertical supports adapted to straddle aload, an upper framework connecting the supports and adapted to carry ahoisting mechanism for lifting or lowering a load be a wheel carryingframe slida'ble vertically on each support, and springs engaging-saidframes to permit the legs to facilitate ini the stacklifter'aresufficiently narrow in construction 45' beneath the bundle.

lifter comprising:

frames to yield under load and cause the load to be directly sustainedby said supports.

2. In a portable stack lifter or crane, an arched. frame adapted tocarry nism at the upper part thereof and comprlsing depending pairs oflegs spaced to strad dle a load, a slide mounted on each pair of. legs,springs engaging said slides, 'carried by the slides.

3. In a portable stack lifter or'crane, an arched frame adapted to carryhoist mechanism at the upper part thereof, and compris-.- ing dependingpairs of legs spaced'to straddle a load, a vertically each pair of legs,a bar secured to each pair of legs above said slide bar, springsinterposed .slidable bar' carried by hoist mechaand wheels betweensaid-bars and wheels carried by the slide bars.

arched frame adapted to carry hoist mechanism at the upper part thereof,and comprising depending pairs of legs spaced to straddle a load, avertically slidable bar carried by each pair of legs a bar secured toeach pair of legs above said-s'lide'bar, springs inter posed betweensaid bars, Wheels carried by the slide bars, and mounted one in advanceof each leg and substantially in the width of the legs.

5. In a portable stack lifter or-crane, an arched frame adapted to carryhoist mechanism at the upper part thereof, and comprising dependingpairs of legs transversely spaced to provide a crane bay, a longitudinalslide bar embracing each pair of legs and slidable vertically thereon, alongitudinal tween -the bars and caster wheels mounted beneath the slidebars,

6. In a portable stack lifter, an arched frame adapted to carry hoistmechanism at the top part thereof and comprising spaced pairs of legs, avertically yielding horizontal frame'bar connecting each pair of legs, apair of caster wheels positioned in advance of the legs of each pair anddisposed in the plane for supporting said wheels bars and permittingcertain and spring means for thereof, devices from said frame of saidwheels to turn,

causing said-frame bar and the wheels to yield under load.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT T. BOMINE.

